TEMPLE CITY, Calif., July 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulgent Genetics (NASDAQ: FLGT) and the Parkinson’s Foundation today announced a collaboration on a new genetic testing initiative for individuals living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The nation-wide initiative, called PD GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, provides genetic testing for clinically relevant Parkinson’s-related genes for eligible individuals. The initiative will be offered through the Parkinson’s Foundation Centers of Excellence network and Parkinson Study Group sites, and it will leverage the next generation genetic testing technology of Fulgent Genetics.
“Fulgent is proud to be partnering with the Parkinson’s Foundation on such an important initiative, and we were pleased to be chosen as their genetic testing partner following a competitive selection process, offering the best overall value and solution for the Foundation,” said Ming Hsieh, Chairman and CEO of Fulgent Genetics. “Our comprehensive testing and data analytics capabilities will enable clinicians to make more informed treatment decisions for Parkinson’s patients, which we believe will have a positive impact on patient care. We also look forward to leveraging our data and technology capabilities to aid in the development of improved treatments for Parkinson’s patients in the future.”
Fulgent Genetics is uniquely positioned to support PD GENEration given the company’s history of implementing state-of-the-art next generation sequencing technology to advance the field of genetic testing. As part of the collaboration agreement, Fulgent Genetics will be compensated for processing, sequencing, and storing each DNA sample for patients participating in the initiative. Also supporting this initiative are Indiana University School of Medicine, providing genetic counseling for tested individuals; University of Florida CTSI Data Coordinating Center, assisting with secure data storage; and University of Rochester’s Clinical Trials Coordination Center. In collaboration with these partners, Fulgent Genetics has leveraged the flexibility of its broad testing catalog to select and develop a targeted list of seven genes relevant to Parkinson’s patients and clinicians: GBA, LRRK2, SNCA, PRKN, PARK7, VPS35, and PINK1. Fulgent Genetics will analyze and generate clinical reports for these target genes, and the findings will be made available to the treating physicians and future researchers.
Genetic testing can help determine whether an individual’s genetic makeup indicates a potential genetic cause for Parkinson’s disease. This knowledge can assist patients and physicians in better understanding each case and can help to identify whether a patient qualifies for enrollment in certain clinical trials. Participants will also be able to better understand their genetic test results through free genetic counseling provided by Indiana University and on-site clinicians. Raw data accumulated through the initiative will be captured for future research by scientists to develop improved treatments and precision medicine options for PD.
The initiative aims to enroll 600 participants in its first year of operation, expanding to include 15,000 participants by 2024.
“What makes PD GENEration unique is its novel approach of offering genetic testing for relevant Parkinson’s-related genes in an easily accessible, clinical environment through the Parkinson’s Foundation network,” said James Beck, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the Parkinson’s Foundation. “We expect that this will accelerate enrollment in clinical trials for the next generation of treatments and help facilitate the use of genetic information to improve care and expand research.”
To learn more about Fulgent Genetics, visit FulgentGenetics.com.
To learn more about the PD GENEration initiative, call 1-800-4PD-INFO or visit www.Parkinson.org/PDGENEration.
About Fulgent Genetics
Fulgent Genetics (NASDAQ: FLGT) is a technology company with a focus on offering comprehensive genetic testing to provide physicians with clinically actionable diagnostic information they can use to improve the quality of patient care. The company has developed a proprietary technology platform that allows it to offer a broad and flexible test menu and continually expand and improve its proprietary genetic reference library, while maintaining accessible pricing, high accuracy and competitive turnaround times. The company believes its test menu, which currently offers more genes for testing than its competitors in today’s market, enables it to provide expansive options for test customization and clinically actionable results.
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Source: Fulgent Genetics, Inc.
